Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Next
to the Internet itself, the second greatest thing that ever happened
to writers was the advent of Bloggers. In the past, writers stood
little chance of getting their work reviewed unless their book landed
on the Bestsellers List. Now, thanks to the Blogosphere, it's
possible for writers in every genre to connect with readers all over
the world. The U.K.'s Sophie Gonzales of Life Between Pages is one
example. http://www.lifebetweenpages.net/p/review-information.html

Ms.
Gonzales is a university student who has been blogging for less than
two years and already has 384 followers. In fact, the Life Between
Pages Blog has been such a hit that Gonzales is currently unable to
accept review requests. How does she do it? Gonzales' technique is
relatively simple: using social networking, Gonzales is able to
spread the word about her blog to a huge range of readers. Freebies
like Twitter, Facebook and Google + Goodreads are all tools Gonzales
uses to advertise Life Between Pages. Gonzales also makes a point to
interact with other bloggers.

“One
of the wonderful things about being a book blogger is that there's a
networking site dedicated to us called Book Blogs,” says Gonzales.
http://bookblogs.ning.com/

Not
only do websites like Life Between Pages help writers, but the people
who write those blogs benefit as well. Thanks to her experience as a
blogger, Gonzales says she has now expanded the genres of books she
reads. As a university student studying literature in the U.K., this
open-minded approach has proven to be a great educational tool as
well.

What
advice does a veteran like Gonzales offer to those entering the
Blogosphere? “Make sure your content is interesting and original,”
says Gonzales. “And never underestimate the power of a great
layout (avoid clutter)!”

Those
brave enough to tip their toes into the world of blogging will find
it a very cost effective way to share an opinion or spread a message.
Sites like Blogger http://www.blogger.com/homeand WordPress.com http://www.blogger.com/homeare free so users can experiment without any financial risk. Now
that the roadblocks to connecting with people of similar interests
have been removed, the only thing left is to dive in and get
blogging!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

In
the not-so distant past, only bestsellers stood any real chance of
being turned into audiobooks. It was like an exclusive club limited
to the most elite books. Then audio software programs like ProTools
galloped in to drastically reduce the cost of producing audiobooks.
Score one for the little guy, but producing cost effective audiobooks
still put indie studios in the same pickle as self-publishers: where
to market their work. Most bookstores owners have little interest in
using precious shelf space on products from undiscovered writers.
This is where Audible.com comes to the rescue (cue dramatic music).

Audible.com
offers a program called ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) which make
it possible for studios living on a shoestring budget to compete in
the global market. Essentially, the deal works like this: indie
studios who have produced an audiobook in mp3 format can apply to
sell it on Audible.com through ACX. Once the green light is given,
ACX has easy to follow steps to correctly format the audiobook and
upload it for sale on Audible.com.

Here's
the incredible thing: if you have a problem with your account,
someone at ACX will actually answer the phone. More importantly, the
people who take these calls offer genuine solutions.

Once
an audiobook is produced, it's easy to flounder around in a sea of
social media. ACX has some very useful tips to help newbies get
acquainted with how to best use internet technology to sell
audiobooks. All this and topics covering everything from
distribution to podcasting are listed on the ACX “How it Works”
page http://www.acx.com/help/how-it-works/200484210

Don't
have access to a studio? No problem. ACX even offers a service for
that. Writers can hire a publisher to handle everything for them, or
they can audition narrators themselves. Here's the magic words for
actors: ACX has a platform for you too! They not only offer a ton
of opportunities to audition for actual audiobooks, but they allow
the actors to chose the hourly rate they want to charge.

Now
that the roadblocks to recording audiobooks have been lifted, only
one question remains: what are you waiting for?

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

I'm not going to complain about
the 300 days of sunshine we typically get each year in St. George,
Utah, but the downside of living in Paradise is that there isn't much
of a change of seasons. My favorite time of year is Autumn and I
miss the beautiful fall colors I grew up with in my hometown of
Boulder, Colorado. To compensate, I have found new ways to celebrate
the seasons. Novels and audiobooks are an excellent way to get me in
the mood for whatever holiday is on tap.

October is an especially fun month
for me, and there are a number of books and audio books to set the
tone for a month of thrills and chills. I'd like to share some of my
top picks for some spooky October fun:

Practical Magic by Alice
Hoffman. I read this book with the enthusiasm I normally reserve for
Halloween candy. The setting, tone and delivery kept me turning
pages long after I should have been turning out the lights for sleep.
I also loved the movie version of Practical Magic which
starred Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman.

The Worst/Best Halloween
Ever by Barbara Robinson. The crazy Herdman Family is back, this
time pulling Halloween pranks and creating chaos at the Woodrow
Wilson School. Fans of The WorstChristmas Pageant Ever
will love this young adult reader.

The
Witching Hour by Ann Rice. I didn't want this lengthy
novel to end. Rice hooks her readers with an extensive history of
the Mayfair Witches. Set in New Orleans, The Witching Hour
captivated my attention with rich details and an intriguing plot.

Right now, I'm listening to the
audio book version of Shadow of Night, the
sequel to A Discovery of Witches by
Deborah Harkness. Thanks to all the wonderful writers who are doing
their best to delight me this Halloween season!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

The latest
installment in the Quirky Audio Book Series is now available for
sale. WHEN MARIJUANA AND REALITY TV COLLIDE . . . Yikes! Another
Quirky Audio Book is the story of Blue McKenna, a pot grower who gets
involved in a reality TV show as a means of curing an apocalyptic
case of writer's block. A conglomerate of kooky contestants invades
the polygamist community of Navel, Utah, to compete in a reality show
called Yikes! Participants include Steven Finch, a loveable stoner
who develops a conspiracy theory involving a rock band called the
Rectal Surgeons, and Randall Smoot, a member of the Gay Mafia.

Yikes! Another
Quirky Audio Book features a cast of 11 actors who portray the
characters in funny, engaging chronologies. Steve Campbell, a
delightful actor with a long list of singing and performance credits,
serves as the narrator. The narration pieces give the listener a
glimpse into the wacky community of Navel where every day is
Christmas but it never snows!

Melissa Sandberg
and Alexandra Harbold play the lead ladies in Yikes! Another Quirky
Audio Book. Sandberg does an outstanding job in the role of Blue
McKenna, a pot grower with a bladder the size of a pea. As luck
would have it, Blue McKenna has an uncanny knack for getting caught
with her pants down! Sandberg's performance is wistfully funny, a
perfect match for the character she plays. It's no small wonder that
Sandberg is a busy New York actress, landing one job after another
for film, stage, television and voice-over work.

Harbold's role as
Moon McKenna provides a good contrast with Sandberg's character.
Moon McKenna, a self important know-it-all, spends her time in Navel
stirring up problems for the contestants on Yikes! Harbold expertly
captures the haughtiness of Moon's personality, though in real life
she is a very laid-back and sweet individual. Harbold lives in Salt
Lake City where she keeps busy working as an actress, director and
voice-over artist.

The cast of Yikes!
Another Quirky Audio Book is rounded out with nine other professional
actors, many of whom are working on productions all across the United
States and even Europe. Yikes! Another Quirky Audio Book is 10.5
hours long and is being offered as an MP3 product on Amazon and
Audible.com. To purchase a copy, please visit

About Me

Adele
Park is an Audie Award Winning Author, Producer and Editor. Park
worked as a TV and radio reporter, news anchor and on-air personality
for more than 20 years. In 2008, Park formed Straight to Audio
Productions L.L.C. and opened a recording studio in St. George, Utah.